Four nuclear reactors hit a big milestone in the US
4 hours ago
- #Nuclear Energy
- #Microreactors
- #Criticality
- The US Reactor Pilot Program saw four microreactors achieve criticality by the July 4, 2025 deadline, meeting a Trump administration goal.
- Achieving criticality is a milestone showing a reactor can sustain a chain reaction, but it does not mean the reactors are ready to produce electricity for the grid.
- The companies involved—Antares Nuclear, Valar Atomics, Deployable Energy, and Aalo Atomics—must now address technical challenges like cooling systems to generate power.
- Startups project aggressive timelines, with Aalo aiming to power a data center by 2027 and Deployable Energy targeting commercial deployment by 2028, though regulatory hurdles may slow progress.
- Critics argue the program is a diversion from broader nuclear capacity goals, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's new approval framework for microreactors remains untested.